The Grammy-nominated Berklee Indian Ensemble is not your average class musical group.
“I think what is different about the Berklee Indian Ensemble is that very quickly, within the first two or three semesters, the students understood that this was not something that they joined for a grade. This was a community. This was a family,” said Annette Philip told GBH News’ Arun Rath.
Philip was the first Indian musician appointed as a faculty member at Berklee. She founded the Berklee Indian Ensemble in 2011 and, under her leadership, the group has been studying and creating music influenced by Indian culture ever since.
“The intention was first and foremost to create a space that was porous, artistically,” said Philip. “That would allow for a confluence of cultural flavors to play together. If you can design a playground that is safe for musicians from many parts of the world, you still have a thread - a common thread - and the common thread is Indian music in all its forms.”
The ensemble has collaborated with artists from all over the world, producing music that almost defies categories - everything from classical Indian music to reworkings of Metallica.
As for Philip’s personal musical influences, they were rooted in classical and fusion from an early age.
“My family was living in Singapore, and I got hooked to this show and I didn't know who it was. It was Luciano Pavarotti, turns out, with a pianist, and I just got mesmerized,” Philip said.
The Berklee Indian Ensemble has had more than 450 musicians from 54 different countries since it began. The group was nominated for a 2022 Grammy for its debut album, Shuruaat.
GBH News is a premier source for in-depth local news and original story telling based in Boston, Massachusetts.
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0:00 Classical music inspiration and background
1:01 The road to Berklee College of Music
1:49 The creation of Berklee Indian Ensemble
2:18 How fusion became so central
3:38 10+ years of evolution
4:00 This is a community. This is a family.
4:32 The global fan base
4:55 Debut album
12 июл 2024
